Very cute! My 4YO enjoyed this book and can certainly relate to it. She loves to paint and ride her bike, eat ice cream and drink lemonade, just like little bear.

This is an endearing little book that reminds us that though we want to grow up briskly we should also enjoy little things that make us happy or try new activities along the way while enjoying the time we are currently in. This story will be perfect for children that want to grow up and be an adult already because will teach them to not be in a hurry to grow up.

This little guy is so impatient to grow up, he is clueless about how this really works, he seeks the answer from all those around him, still, he finds it's taking too long. But thanks to the wisdom of his Mummy and daddy he believed he has found the answer A quirky amusing bedtime read, cute and adorable,

Super cute book! Sounds just like a question that my neice would ask and teaches kids a good life lesson with fun illustrations! Would definitely recommend as a book to have in your collection.

Little Bear Wants to Grow is self explanatory. This little bear simply wants to grow up. So he asks all his relatives how he can grow and they all give various suggestions but none work. In the end, mom and dad encourage him to be patient and to let his body grow as it sees fit, basically, naturally.

The artwork is absolutely adorable! I was drawn to it immediately. I have a few problems with the book, however. First of all, they don't go deep when there are many areas that present themselves. Now I know with a kids book you don't want to go too deep but a good book like this one allows for open conversation. This one does allow for it but with a lot of prompting from an adult to see what a child would miss. Examples:

1- they do no say why little bear wants to grow. Does he want to grow up to be (insert dream job)? Does he want to grow up because everyone else is so big? They really missed out on a big opportunity in my opinion.

2- the suggestions they offer, while they're obviously meant to be cute and funny and completely ridiculous, just makes the whole book end up seeming pointless when there's (a) no reason why he wants to grow up and now (b) no real suggestions of how we truly do grow up (physically, mentally, through perseverance, etc). They have grandma tell little bear he'll grow up if he drinks lemonade, someone else says from painting and another says from eating ice cream (and the thing is, even with the ice cream you CAN grow..not up, but out.)

In my opinion this is a cute book, great art, its meant to obviously be silly but it could've been both silly and educational. It still can be but with a lot more effort.

Thank you ti NetGalley and the publisher, for this free eARC.

This was such a cute story and the illustrations were beautiful. What little kid, or bear, doesn't want to grow up? I get asked weekly. 😉 I thought all the things he was told to do, were cute.

One book that I will be buying for our shelf!

Little Bear Wants to Grow by Judith Koppens. Illustrated by Suzanne Diederen. Clavis Publishing. Children’s Fiction. Publication date: 01 Apr 2019. 5 Stars.

Sweet book with soft-hued color pictures about the value of love and patience in a little bear who can’t grow up fast enough. As Little Bear receives advice and expends a lot of effort, your young child will enjoy this story that ends happily after receiving parental guidance, love and understanding. Great book!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ebook for review.

The illustrations are lovely - 100 glasses of lemonade are maybe not the greatest advice and Grandma Bear might get into trouble with Little Bear's GP but it's a cute and enjoyable story, with a perfect ending for a good night read.

A sweet story of a bear wanting to grow. I was a expecting more of a deeper message rather than all the other bears telling him silly things like painting more or drinking lemonade. It is a cute quick read. Not something I would buy but one I could see my girls enjoying at bedtime (what kid doesn't love a bit of potty humor).

This is a sweet book with gorgeous illustrations, perfect for a young child who is in a hurry to grow. My 4-year old son always talks about "growing big like Daddy" and he loved reading this book with me about the silly things the bear does to try to grow. This is also a book that adults will enjoy reading with their kids (some children's books are just painful to read out loud!).

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reading copy. I read this book to my kids and they loved it. Little bear is so relatable to younger children, especially with his goal of trying to grow bigger. Kids are always wanting to grow bigger like their older friends or their parents, even though they should enjoy their time while little (according to their parents). The pictures were engaging and allowed for counting practice. I would definitely recommend!

A really cute book, with a pale young bear impatient to become fully grown. He gets advice from other members of his family, which inspires lots of activity and no real growth, or so the book says. You might be thinking the moral of it all is that you shouldn't hurry to be a grown-up, but no. In fact the moral I took from it all is that we'd all have been better off if the critter's parents had told him the truth to begin with. But it closes with a cute hug, so all is alright in the end. So it looks fine, but the story is a bit ineffective, and beyond a few minutes' entertainment won't really stand out as a classic.

Oh, and that toilet roll is hung the wrong way round.

Little Bear Wants to Grow is a gorgeously illustrated children's picture book that is targeted at the toddler and young preschooler age. Little Bear wants to grow and is feeling frustrated that he isn't seeing much progress.

His extended family members give him advice that he tries and doesn't see any immediate progress. He then goes to mom and dad who let him know that you don't have to do anything specific and that growth happens slowly and over time.

This book has a sweet message but it fell a little flat for me. Although it is written for a younger audience, I think the suggestions were a little one dimensional. All the food items were "treats" which I know kids like but I think this could have been a stronger message with an assortment of different types of nutrition. I do like that they showed different activities because you learn and grow from everything you do. I think Koppens has a great idea, the text could have just been a little stronger, especially the wrap up at the end. The illustrations were the highlight of this book for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clavis Publishing for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Cute little story with funny ideas to help little bear grow. Unfortunately, eating ice cream and painting pictures doesn’t actually make you taller so he settles on hugs from mom and dad. The illustrations are really pretty and engaging.

A sweet little story about a cute bear cub who wants to grow up, and asks his family and neighbours for advice on what to do to make it happen quicker. He tries out things they suggest (some of them are really funny) and he grows a little bit every day surrounded by their love and support. Beautiful illustrations in gentle colours, lots of repetition- this book has already become one of our new favourites.
Thank you to NetGalley and Clavis Publishing for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute story. Kids love to be just like mom and dad so it was a perfect story. I love little bear and the illustrations.

Do you remember when you were young and all you wanted was to grow up? Well, that is exactly how Little Bear feels. He seeks advice from those he is close to but none of the advice works. At the end of the story Little Bear's parents let him know that he will grow little by little.

This book has a lovely message for children. They will grow in time surrounded by those who love them.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this sweetly illustrated read. The opinions are my own.

This book was a sweet book. I read it to my child and she loved the pictures and even was able to read some of the pages on her own. It was a positive read that shows that you will get there and there is no reason to rush. Very cute children's book that I would read again.

I received this book for free from netgalley with the agreement for a honest review.

Well-drawn ~ Aesthetically-Appealing ~ Sweet

tl;dr; Baby bear wants to be big.

I'm on the fence on this book. The illustrations are luscious, with layers of color washes hinting at depth. The end pages with the ice cream and popscicle desserts are adorable. This would be a great book for an image walk. The text however is not as strong. The cadence is a little stiff. The message is alright: growth happens naturally but a hug can't hurt. But, if you are looking at illustrations only, this would definitely be a four star one.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A very quick but pleasant little children's book with a good lesson to learn. A good read. This book will be a hit with your little ones.